[Little Tangles] Challenge #25 - Give Thanks

Hi everyone! It is already the end spurt of November. I can't believe that Thanksgiving is exactly a week ago. I'm not ready for this!

What better way to get into the game than to create a card Giving Thanks? And if you're not celebrating Thanksgiving, these is always a need for Thank You cards…!


Stamps: (My Heart Sings, A Lot to Say, Thankful Turkey) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Brown Card Stock) Bazzill; (Perfect Match Card Stock - Vintage Cream) Papetrey Ink; (Fitzgeral AddOn Kit: (pattern paper: Blink of Life, Studio Calico)) Studio Calico
Ink: (Creative Color - Hazel) Mama Elephant; (Jenni Bowlin - No. 5 Chicken Feed, No. 9 Spice Tin) Ranger
Embellishments: (Fitzgeral AddOn Kit: (Wood Veneer Butterflies) Studio Calico, (Blue Enamel Dots) Freckled Fawn) Studio Calico

I found some pretty stellar pattern paper out of some Studio Calico kits lying out on my desk and stamped the speech bubble from A Lot to Say. I also stamped the bird in Spice Tin ink on some beautiful blue and green pattern paper from the kit, and decided to color him with my ink pads. Amazing what a little bit of water and ink does, right?



I also added a bit of orange color to the patter paper to make the foreground pop more.

That's all I have for you. Go see the other girls' creations. They will surely have many inspirations for you...

Here is the reader's digest version.

• Challenge ends Dec 1, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back for the winners
• Prize is ONE Neat & Tangled Stamp set of your choice to a random player
• Neat & Tangled stamps are not required on your entry, but we would love to see you use them. If you would like to use some Neat & Tangled products but haven't had a chance to buy any, we have a couple of freebies on the Little Tangles site. Enjoy!

Can't wait to see your creations! :)

10 Minute Craft Dash - Snowflakes are Winter's Butterflies

Hello everyone! I had it forever on my bucket list to try the 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge, since Challenge #1 actually. Thirty challenges later, I have found the right "kick in the butt" - Uniko Studio is sponsoring this Craft Dash. And who can say no to playing along to this kind of mashup?

I'm so deathly afraid of this challenge, because I take a long while coming up with a card. I fuss around, I glue things on my own sweet time, it takes forever to fussy cut everything…but that's generally how card making is for me. It's the me-time where I get to relax and do something fun & creative, so I never feel like I'm in a hurry. 

This challenge tho had me shaking in my socks. So I planned, and I planned some more, and I bounced ideas with my dear friend Mary Dawn (big kudos to her for being an amazing inspiration) while hanging out with her on video chat. I sketched it out, I laid out all the items that I need in a neat little pile. And I checked over it again meticulously.



Then I took a deep breath and hit the "start" button my iPhone Stopwatch


Stamps: (Stunning Snowflakes) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Basic White, Raspberry Fizz) Papertrey Ink; (navy flecked card stock) stash; (Fitzgerald Add-On Kit: My Mind's Eye) Studio Calico
Ink: (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Designer Dies - Snowflakes) Uniko Studio; (Twill Tape - Raspberry Fizz; Stamper's Select Vellum) Papertrey Ink; (Tiny Twinkle - Multicolor) Taylored Expression; (Creative Cuts - Dainty Bow) Mama Elephant

So confession time: I made the bow beforehand. I got this cute little die from Mama Elephant and I had never made one of those bows, so I played with it. I was putting it together, and don't think I would have made it under 10min if it wasn't already pre-made. So that was my cheat…don't tell anyone ;) But isn't it cute?

The rest was a mad dash - literally. Die cut snowflakes. Glue the yellow panel down, snip the snowflake top off to retro-fit for the ribbon, tape the ribbon down on the backside, glue the snowflake down. Glue the center in. Add the bow, add the twinkles (Thank heavens for Sakura glue pens and Tweezers), and stamp the sentiment on. Done.



Are you tired yet? That's how I felt after that. It was a challenge to fit as much as possible in the ten minutes allotted. I hope you give this a try - it's quite a fabulous, fun and refreshing way to make a card. It definitely shakes things up :) Thanks Paulina for having us along. Oh and I am sure you wanna see the time…Yikes. If I had to deal die cut and assemble the bow, I would not be very lucky.

Check out the amazing creations by the other girls by either going to Paulina's blog, or Bev's blog…! And in case you are wondering what is at stake?

[Uniko Studio] Challenge No. 5 - Christmas or Winter Holiday

Hi everyone - we're back with another challenge this month. It's perfectly themed for the upcoming holidays: Winter or Christmas theme.

by Pinterest

This beautiful picture inspired me to pull out my little christmas tree from the latest Uniko Studio release. And I love the lights, which inspired me to pull our my new stamps to play with and go with a golden, warm color.


Stamps: (Jolly Christmas) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Ocean Tides, Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Summer Stories) Teresa Collins; (Corrugated Card Stock - Green) stash
Ink: (Creative Color Pigment Ink - Orangeade, Sunshine, Winter) Mama Elephant; (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Signo Gelpen - White) Uniball; (Creative Cuts - Embellished Tags) Mama Elephant

I apologize about my pictures… the colors are a little bit of wonky because I was taking it under some yellow light bulbs. Didn't manage to catch the sunlight.

I stamped the little tree on the back of the corrugated card stock and cut it out, popped it on a tag with some stars and decided to stamp on the fun lyrics from a popular Christmas song.



The papers are from Teresa Collins Summer Stories. Yep a summer collection, but the gold was perfect for the extra bit of Christmas shimmer. Don't forget to check your collections, since there are always generic patterns in the mix, and they might just be the right color mix.

Anyways, that's all I have for you. Check out the rest of the girl's cards and leave them a sweet comment or two. Remember you don't have to use all the colors - any or all as an inspiration.

Lastly, a few helpful things to remember:

• Challenge ends Dec 14th, 2013, 11:59p BST; Check back for the winners after
• Prize is £10 Gift Certificate to the random Winner & a Guest Design spot on our following challenge
• Three people will win a spotlight
• We would like you to use a Uniko Studio product; If you don't have any, check out the freebies here

I hope to see you play along, so that I can pop in on your lovely blogs! See you soon!

[Uniko Studio] Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner - Uniko Studio November Blog Hop

Hello everyone! This revisited blog hop must have been amaze-balls, because I got so many sweet lovely comments. Thank you so much for your lovely remarks. I will try to visit you back in the next few days. 

So I asked random.org to draw a winner...

That makes cm my winner over here for £10 Gift Certificate. Please contact Beverely by emailing her: beverley [at] unikostudio [dot] com.

Remember to check everyone's blog too, cause you might have won over there:

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• Taheerah
• Guest Designer N@Ali

I hope you had fun, just as much as we have had. We will be drawing a winner for our USC #4 on November 17, and we have a new fabulous challenge for you starting on Nov 18! See you soon!

[Uniko Studio] November Blog Hop - Label Love: Christmas Revisited

Hello everyone! October's release just slipped right past me. Between my crazy travel schedule, the manufacturers, international shipping and the postman, it was one of those unfortunately "not going to happen" moments. But I hope to get to play for a bit and I will be posting a few projects revisiting the recent release.

Today, however, I am going way back into the recent past, and am showing off an oldie-but-goodie set. A big drum roll for Label Love: Christmas.

It is inevitable to start thinking of Christmas, right?


Stamps: (Label Love: Christmas) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Summer Stories) Teresa Collins
Ink: (Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Summer Stories - Sticker Accessory Sheet) Teresa Collins

This is just a simple cute card with some good old fashion paper layers. And I thought this would be a fun take on non-traditional Christmas / Winter holiday colors. You know what this card really needs? Wink of Stella...Yeah, I have totally fallen in love with this medium, and totally need one. It's so going on the wish list ;)



Hope you feel inspired to get your crafting up and going again.

And if I remember correctly, Bev is going to draw a winner for each stamp set revisited or a gift card. On my blog you can win a £10 Gift Certificate. So remember to comment along the way. You have until Nov 14. In the meantime, I'm sending you off to fabulous, amazing Stacey.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• Taheerah
• Guest Designer N@Ali

I hope you like what you're seeing. Hope to see your creations soon!

Moxie Fab! Thanks - Blog Hop

Hello there - hopefully you're coming from Eva Dobila's blog. And if not, you might want to start from the beginning at the Moxie Fab World. Grab a cuppa, or two, and a sandwich. It is a long ride...it's a huge virtual "flash mob" style celebration for a very special someone: Cath Edvalson.

Dear Cath - 

In a nutshell, Thank you, Cath, for everything you have done! I have been a fan since the first time a friend pointed me to your blog. As a newbie in the card making and stamping world, your blog posts were always a sure source of inspiration and "what's currently going on." I love that I had a place to see great visual inspirations, find talented (and new to me) designers that became my source of inspiration, and a place to see your prediction of up and coming trends come through. You, my dear, gave me a community that wasn't bound by a type of crafting style, a community based on fandom for a manufacturer, or a poor of people who shared the same challenge interest. You were all of it. And you were always the first place I would look to.

Do you know how much you are loved? At least a blog hop with 285 people. Only you can pull a flash mob like this together. And that's just the beginning. 

On that note, do you know how much *I* love you...? (sorry for the poor photo quality...stuck on a business trip and pulled this card off the iphone)

Let me just say, I don't like to share my crispy bacon strips! ;) The flip side of course is how much I will miss you... hella lot. Your wittiness, your honesty, your keen eye for up and coming trends. You are my go-to gal. I will miss your face, but as the banner says, you will always be my Moxie Fab World. You know, old habits die hard!

We are celebrating you today as an iconic person of this stamping community today. You have given us so much, and I can't wait for you to do things for yourself. This job was hopefully fun but also hard work and time. So, Cath, thank you again for everything you have done.

Stay Moxie-Fabulous. I look forward to seeing you in the blog world, under a new catchy Cath name...no pressure there ;)

Yours truly,
smallhanded me

Off you go to Jessica Shelton-Buffa.

Caring Hearts Card Drive - a Blog Hop

Hello lovelies! I hope you're hopping over here from Sarah's blog. If not, please start from the beginning at Vera's blog, because the line-up of ladies and their inspiration is phenomenal.

ave you heard of this fabulous Card Drive? It's something that Vera Yates throws together every year. Sometimes with the help of dear friends, other times just solo. How she does it - it's beyond me! But she takes the time around one of the busiest time of the month. But I am absolutely excited that Tina Schrof and Anita from Canada are helping to be additional collection stations for this card drive.

This card drive is near and dear to my heart. Every year my local Assisted Living home has been the lucky recipient of these cards, and it's just fabulous to see smiles spread on their faces. It's really a hard, rough time for those older folks around the holidays. So these cards bring a little cheer into their lives. I will have to post those pictures later no the blog here. So check back...

And if spreading joy is not incentive enough, there are prizes for this hop (and even bigger prizes for the Card Drive itself) by the following lovely & generous sponsors:

• Avery Elle
• Clearly Besotted Stamp
• Ellen Hutson
• Fresh Squeezed Stamp
• Hero Arts
• Inspiration Emporium
• Lawn Fawn
• Li'l Inker Designs
• May Arts
• My Favorite Thing
• Newton Nook & Design
• Online Classes
• Paper Smooches
• Simon Says Stamps
• Studio Calico
• Tim Holtz
• There She Goes Stamp
• The Twinery

Just comment along the blog hop to be a lucky winner. You have until Tuesday Nov 12, 11:59p EST. The list is at the bottom of this post for easy navigation. But before I get to that, here is a card with some Mama Elephant goodies



Stamps: (No Peeking) Mama Elephant
Paper: (Perfect Match Card Stock - Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream) Papetrey Ink
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen, Vintage Photo; Jenni Bowlin - No. 1 Chewing Gum) Ranger; (Creative Color - Bubblegum) Mama Elephant; (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Signo White Gel Pen) Uniball; (Mister Huey - Pinstripe; Mister Huey's Masks - Bubbles) Studio Calico; (Rustic Cream Twine) Papertrey Ink

I thought I'd try this chalkboard look and see if I can vintage up these Mama Elephant designs. Here is a closer look at the tag. The cute little dear was fussy cut and colored with Vintage Photo and Chewing Gum.



Edging the tag with some Vintage Photo softens the tag.



I still think this little deer is pretty darn cute, and hope that it will bring a smile to the lovely old folks. You're off to our last stop Newton's Nook. 

And in case you would like the whole blog hop list for easy navigation:

• Vera Yates
• Avery Elle
• Kimberly Crawford
• Emily Branch
• Paper Smooches
• Kim Kesti
• Aj Otto
• Joscelyne Cutchens
• Wendy Morris
• Emily Leiphart
• Jennifer McGuire
• Simon Says Stamp
• Tiffany Johnson
• Li’l Inker Designs
• Alicia Thelin
• Alyssa Scritchfield
• Isha Gupta 
• Jen Carter 
• Sarah Jay 
• Suzanne Dahlberg 
• Lawn Fawn
• Latisha Yoast
• Teri Anderson
• Fresh Squeezed Stamp
• Anita Recksiedler
• Sarah Moerman
• Ren-Yi Lo (<-- you are here) 
• Newton’s Nook Designs

And please consider making or donating some holiday cards to this awesome card drive. Major thanks to Tina and Anita for helping collect, and a big "You Rock" to Vera for doing this again. Let this card drive be awesome!

[Little Tangles] Challenge #24 - Shaped Cards

Hi everyone! I'm off travelling for work again, so I'm hoping that this post goes live without a hitch. This week is an exciting week because we want to highlight another great card drive card that is near and dear to my heart!

If you know Vera Yates, then you know what a sweetheart she is. I have had a chance to work with her every year since she started this fabulous card drive. And I am always one of the lucky recipients to bring a box of cards to our local Assisted Living and it's so amazing to see the smiles spread on those folk's face. So please consider making your cards for this great cause in mind...

Here is my weak attempt at a Shaped Card. I really wanted to try these dies out by Mama Elephant, and this is what resulted...


Stamps: (Simple Christmas) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Heavy Card Stock - Speckled) Avery Elle; (Perfect Match Card Stock - Pure Poppy) Papetrey Ink
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen) Ranger; (Shadow Ink - Field Greens Mid-tone, Forever Green Mid-tone, Red Royal Mid-tone) Hero Arts; (Creative Color - Hazelnut) Mama Elephant
Embellishments: (Glossy Accents) Ranger; (Christmas Words Dies) Paper Smooches; (Creative Cuts - Femme Frame) Mama Elephant

I made this card during a little crafty get-together, so I got try a bunch of different supplies out that I didn't have in my stash, including new inks, dies and a bunch of other fun products. It's a pretty CAS card and I love how the Neat & Tangled Simple Christmas has those fun little boughs, pine cones and berries to make a fun Christmas or harvest-themed creation. I love how they are appropriate for any audience.



That's all I have for you. Go see the other girls' creations. They will surely have many inspirations for you...

Here is the reader's digest version.

• Challenge ends Nov 17, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back for the winners
• Prize is ONE Neat & Tangled Stamp set of your choice to a random player
• Neat & Tangled stamps are not required on your entry, but we would love to see you use them. If you would like to use some Neat & Tangled products but haven't had a chance to buy any, we have a couple of freebies on the Little Tangles site. Enjoy!

Can't wait to see your creations. We will also have a fun guest post up in the near future. Have a fun day!